Penn Dameron, the Blue Ridge Heritage Area’s newly named director, has a host of accolades and accomplishments to his name — Morehead Scholar, seasoned attorney, community volunteer, Superior Court Judge.

But really, those aren’t the interesting bits. And he knows it. He prattles off that list like a well-rehearsed reading from a press release, the only difference is that instead of a third-person reference, he says “I.”

What’s better, more telling about this tall man with a firm handshake and an affable smile is that he’s in love with the banjo and knows how to wrangle a bear.

Dameron grew up in Marion in a classically trained household, but he fell in love with the banjo the first time he heard it played live. His pickin’, however, didn’t live up to the standard set by his idol Earl Scruggs, and soon Dameron switched to bass. Dameron was playing for money by age 14.

Off at college at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dameron couldn’t escape the appeal of the banjo. Over the years the instrument had earned more respect, slowly venturing out of the realm of a mountain novelty and into being a traditional fixture. So this go around he learned how to do it right.

But it was while looking for a summer exit from the Piedmont that Dameron got a little more than he bargained for when he joined the staff at Grandfather Mountain to work at the gate, sell tickets and pump gas.

The attraction had long-been home to Mildred, a 250-pound black bear. When Mildred had two cubs, the attraction’s management decided it might be a good time to orchestrate a show featuring the family trio. They called a staff meeting and asked who wanted to become Grandfather’s official bear trainer.

“I wanted to be considered for the job so I stuck my hand up ... and nobody else did,” Dameron said.

So Dameron, Mildred and her cubs set about learning how to pose for pictures — a process based largely on the cubs’ appetite and Dameron’s supply of honey. As long as they were hungry, they posed. When they were full, they’d get distracted.

Such was the case when one of the cubs decided to climb a pine tree. Dameron clambered up to where the 20-pound cub clung to a branch and reached out to grab it by the scruff of its neck. His reach slightly missed, and when he tried to pick up the cub it let out a yell, slipped and grabbed on to the armpit of Dameron’s coveralls, a furry, angry mess of teeth and claws. Mildred came running.

“I thought this is it, today I’m going to get killed by a bear,” Dameron said.

Luckily Mildred, a mild-mannered bear, let down her guard when she found out what was going on and that her cub was not hurt. Despite the experience, Dameron returned to work at Grandfather Mountain on weekends during the fall leaf season.

Dameron went on to law school at UNC-Chapel Hill and then joined a firm in Marion. In typical small-town fashion, Dameron covered all the basics — deeds, wills, divorces.

The firm slowly transitioned to a medical malpractice firm and Dameron defended accused doctors, nurses and hospitals throughout the region. The practice gave him the opportunity to travel the 25 counties that are now part of the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area.

Dameron spent 25 years as an attorney before being selected as a Superior Court Judge in 2003. Over the years he never stopped playing music.

“Right before I was a judge, I played in a working rock-and-roll band,” Dameron said.

The band, David Childers and the Modern Don Juans, recorded Room #23 just prior to Dameron joining the bench — a matter not of appearances, but of time, he says. The album went to Number 1 on the European Americana Charts (run a Google search and you’ll find a Dutch review).

As the BRHNA’s executive director, Dameron will oversee all activities of the Heritage Area, including grants, branding, launch of a regional destination Web site, research, and education/outreach. The job, he says, is just a formalization of the things he’s been trying to accomplish as a board member of WNC Tomorrow, the Commission on the Future of North Carolina, and the Commission on the Year of the Mountains.

“The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area was created to do what I’ve been trying to do as a volunteer,” Dameron said. “I’ve always loved these mountains as a place to live and as a national treasure.”